Process of manufacturing gas.



No. 665,266. Patented 1an.` l, |9ol.

Y Y F. Punnv. y

PJnocEss IoF mAnu'FAcunma GAS. K (Appca'eion ed Mar. 7, 19B.\

' (Nu Model.)

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"UNITED- STATES PATENT. OFFICE,

FREDERICK PIIRDY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

PROCESS OIF MANUFACTURING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming pm of Leners Patent No. 665,266, dated January 1, 1901. Application filed March '-7, 1898. :Serial No. 672,960. (No specmen.)

TowLZL whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FREDERICK PURDY, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use. ful Improvements in Processes of Manufac- 1 turing Gas, offwh-ich the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which corresponding letters of reference indicate like parts.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple. and cheap process'whereby a fixed gas of superior quality for fuel or illuminating purposes may be manufactured by employing any one of` various known methods heretofore used for the manufacture of such gas in conjunction with electricity. To this end my process consists, essentially, in passing the products )of the' combustion of carbonaceous matter, together with steam and air, into and through a highly-heated con-. verter and therein subjecting the'same to the action of currents of electricity generated outside of the converter, all of which is here- 'inaftermore particularly described, and definitely pointed out in the claims.

. In the drawing the figure is a central longitudinal verticalsectional View of a' gas-.converter,-showing a construction adapted .to carryout my improved process, an electric dynamo being indicated in diagram for supplying the current thereto. I y

Referring to the drawing, oJ represe'ntsa gas-converter which consists ofI two or more receptacles having a gas-tight outer casing b,

l of sheet metal, having a lining c, of any Wellknown refractory material, preferably rebrick. Within the first receptacle, which may be cylindrical in shape, is formed a combustion-chamber d, in which the coal or other fuel is burned, the usual cone-shaped plug e being employed at the top to normally close the feed-openingf. An opening g at the bottom, closed by means of a suitable plate h, luted or otherwise sealed and secured .in place, is provided for the removal of ashes. A pipe t', connected with an air-compressor or othersource of air-supply,"is intended to supply compressed air to the chamber d to support combustion. Pipes j k, communicating, respectively, with sources of steam and oil supply, are introduced, preferably, to

aconnectingtchamber l, which connects the combustion-chamber d with a regenerating- `.chamber m. Within the chamber m I` place an electrode fn, consisting of one or more plates, 'preferably of wrought-ironl or other suitable metal, in connection with eachother or a single cylindrical shell fitted against the liningv c, by which it is insulated. from the 4outer m'etalcasingb. An insulated projection o, extendingthrough the outercasing, enables said-electrode to be connected, by means of a wire p, with the commutator-brush of a dyuamor. 'lhe othercommutator-brushsis connected, by means of a wire t, with an opposite electrode u, which is projected downwardly from the top ofthe regenerating-chamberm of the converter.

Each of the electrodes n u is provided with acovering o, of asbestos, {ire-clay, or other refractory material, which is adapted to protect the same from heat and through which is projected a series of inet-al points w, connecting with the respective electrodes. A lfilling of any well-known refractory mate.- rial, is placed in the regenerating-chamber, through the interstices in which the gas is passed to the outlet-passage f 1/, from whence it is conducted to any suitable washing andA receiving apparatus.

It is well known that gases, especially those rich in carbon, becoine comparatively good conductors of electricity when their temperature is raised aconsiderable degree above thev I take advantage of this fact and normal. cause the highly-heated products of combustion to become a part of an electric circuit, thus changing the conditions from what they would bevwere al-spark to be projected across the same ,space filled with gas at a low ornormal temperature. In the former ,case the gas becomes an electrolyte and subject to de- I compositionlby virtue of the electric current. The conditions are so new that the determination of all the reactions can only be made after the most thorough and elaborate 'investigation; but it is' known that ammonia is decomposedl by the electrolytic action and its nitrogen made to unitereadily with oxygenwhile nascent, vmaking nitric-acid vapor, which subsequently dissolves in the washingwater. It may also produce hitherto unknown allotropic formsof the constituent elements,

' 45 y character of the fuel employed.

'my invention', I

lthis process.

mere exposure to air at ordinary. tempera tures,l whilethe other, known as allotropic phosphorus, combustible only at, a relatively high temperature. I'u like manuel it is well known that ordinary nitrogen is a`- combustible gas-that is to say, it will unite carbon.

will be about tw.0 per cent.

with oxygen ;v but the Ytemperature produced by 'such union heingless than theltem perature required to maintain combustion it nccessaf rily requires some outside source of heating, Whereas in its-aliotropic form \itmay combine with oxygen and produce a heat suflicient'tomaintaiu lsuch combustion. Thecur- .ren-t elnployed may be either alternating or continuous, as either would serve to produce satisfactory results.: To producea thousand feet .of gas by' this process, aboutI fifteen pouiulsofbituminous coal are fed linto the furnace, and suicieut air to maintain a brisk combustion is introduced. The product formed should then be mixed with abouttwo and three-fourths gallons of crude oil sprayed i into it under pressure, together with-super heated steam, the amount of which maybe varied according to the character of the coal, but ordinarily would ybe equivalent to about eight gallons of water.- 'The resulting compound should then be subjected to theielec electric fieldand therewith completing;z :111,85

trical influence and after-cooling Washed.

'lhe gas'produced will be rich in olefants (from twelv'eto fourteen per cent.)l Hydrogen and hydrocarbons willform about twentysix-per cent. I cent. of sulfurct'cd hydrogen and bisuld 'of Carbonic acid will form about two and one-half per cent. of the whole and nitrogen about forty per cent. The free oxygen These propel'- tions of course are variable according to the Having thus described l.; In the process,substantiaily as descri bed,

' of manufacturiuggas, the passing of the prod- There'will be about 4live per4 ucts of combustion, mingled withstcam, air

and hydrocarbon oil while ina highly-heated" state, into an electric field and therewith completingau-:elecric circuit.

2. 'lheunethodof producing gas consisting 55 1n introducing into the heated. gases of combustion, a carbonaeepus fluid which isA transformed into a gas by heat, and finally sub- Jeetiug the eomminglcd 'toa'. electrolytic action while in theirhighlylheated state, 6o

t0 electroly-ticactiou while in their highly- 65 heatedstate, substantially as described.

4. vIn, the process substantiallyasdescribed, of manufacturing gas, bringing the productsI 0f combustion to a high tcmperature,'an`d while iii-their highlydieated state subjectingr` 7o them to a continuous electrolytic action as distinguished from the action of electricl sparks or the `thermal action of electrical conductors, sribstantially as described.

5,5 Inthe-process substantially-as described. y 75 of manufacturing gas, the passing of the produ cts of'combuston, vmingled with steam and hydro'carbn'oil while in a highly-heated state, into an electric eld and therewith' completing an electric circuit. I;

. 6. In the process substantial] y as described,

of man u fact u ring gas, the passing of the products of combustion, mingled with steam and 'air while in a highly-heated state,^intb an electric circuit. n .l

7. Inthe process substantially as described,

of man facturiug gas, the passingof the prod.

nets of combustion, mingled with air and hy-I drocarbon oil while in ahighlyl-heated state, 9e

into au electric field andfthercwith complet-` ing. an electric circuit.

In testimony 4whereof IY -have specification, in the presence of two subscrib-v ing witnesses, thiszlst day of.February, '1v89v8. 9'5

v FREDERICKPURDY.

III-I. FLETCHER, .F.H. DRURY.

signed., uns 

